Apparatus for treating the eye.



H. F. GARBY.

`APPLICATION FILED MAY 21 1901.

APPARATUS FOR TRBATING THE EYB.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

HENRY FORCE GAREY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

V'APPARATUS FOR TREATING THE EYE.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 723,456, dated March 24, 1903.

Application filed Mey 21| 1901.

To all whom it .may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY FORCE GAREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating the Eye; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the iuvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to devices for treating diseases of the eyes. The idea of .improving defective sight by the repeated and longcontinued application of force tending to change the shape of the'eyeball has long been familiar; but my method does not depend upon any such ideas, the leading object of lmy invention being to provide a treatment zo for that class of diseases of the eyes where nerve stimulation and increased circulation are necessary in order to obtain beneficial re' sults. This object is attained by changing the atmospheric pressure around the eye in such manner as to cause the eye to move outward and inward in the bony walls of its socket, the amplitude of its movements and their number per minute being controlled as desired. The apparatus also provides for varying this treatment in a number of ways.`

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the apparatus with certain small portions broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same devices, a certain cylinder being shown in horizontal section, the plane of sec tion being through its. axis. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 are detail views of parts seen alsoiu the larger figures. Fig. 7 shows the valve as seen from the left in Fig. l. l

In the figures, A represents any suitable bed, which may be of metal, provided with legs A and strengthening-bars A2. Upon this bed is fixed an air-cylinder B, having at its outer end a passage B, communicating with the passage in a iiexible tube B2. The cylinder is open at the opposite end, and within it works a piston or plunger B2, Whose rod B4 is guided by a bearing ina bar B5, crossing the cylinders openaend diametrically. At the opposite end of the bed a transverse shaft C is m'ountedin suitable bearings and driven whenfdesired by a pulley C and a Serial No. 61,227. (No model.)

belt C2 from any suitable motor. This shaft bears at its inner end a crank-plate C0, having in its face a diametrical recess O3, in which works a non-advancing threaded rod O4, arranged to be conveniently rotated when desired, as shown, by a winged projecting head C5. This head carries back and forth a block C6, fitting in the recess or groove C2 and serving to hold a threaded crank-pin C7, which when screwed home presses upon a small block C8 and locks the rod C4. 4A pitman D connects the crank-pin to the end of the plunger-rod B4, which has at its outer end a sliding bearing D witholit novelty. At a point beyondtheouter end ofthe plungers path a passage E leads from the interior of the cylinder into a valve-chamber F, vwithin 'which 'is a rotary valve F upon a shaft G, parallel to the cylinder, mounted in suitable bearings and driven at the same speed as the shaft C.

by gears G. The valve is a cylindrical body adjustably xed upon its shaft by a set-screw F2 and having extending approximately half around its central portion a circumferential groove F3, which when the valve is set as shown registers with the opening E during a part of each revolution of the shaft G. The shaft G is held against longitudinal movement by collars G3G4; but by loosening the set-screw of the former it may slide longitudinally far enough to disen gage the gears G', allowing the shaft C to rotate without actuating the valve. When desired, the belt C2 may be removed and the apparatus may be actuated by a hand-crank H, driving a swinging shaft H',A mounted in abent lever-yoke H2, pivoted at H3 and having its free end carried in one direction by a thumb-screw I and pressed in the opposite direction by a strong spring I. Upon the shaft H is fixed a wheel J, intendedfor frictional engagement with a smaller wheel J' upon the shaft C. To complete the apparatus, a cup K is detachably secured to the Vfree end of the tube B2. As shown,lthis cup is somewhat larger. than the eye and is.

so formed that its margin will closely fit the parts covering the bony structure forming the socket of the eye and prevent the passage of air vunder these margins to or from the interior of the cup.

It is. obvious that by turning the screw inward the wheel J will be swung from the IOO wheel J', thereby disconnecting the crank from the sha-ft C, leaving the latter to be rotated by the belt, and that if the belt be removed and the screw I be turned outward the spring I presses the wheel J against its companion, bringing the crank into engagement and making of the apparatus a hand-operated machine'.

If the shaft G be moved longitudinally to disengage the gears and the valve be in position to close the opening E, the subsequent operation of the machine will cause alternate rarefaction and condensation of the air in the' cup K, no air escapingr on either stroke of the plunger and the eye itself being alternately drawn outward and returned to its original position. The rapidity of this action depends wholly on the speed of rotation ot the shaft C; but the extent of rarefaction and condensation is regulated by the rod C4, which varies the distance of the crank-pin from the axis of the shaft, and thus changes the stroke between the limits zero and twice the maximum distance of the crank-pin from that axis. In thus setting forth the action while the valve is not moving with the other working parts it has been supposed that when the plunger is at one end of its path the atmospheric pressure in the cylinder was the same as outside, or normal. This isnot, however, necessarily the case, and when it is not results of a radicallydiierent character may be produced. Let us suppose that the plunger is at the outer limit of its path and set for a long stroke, the cup being pressed air-tight over the eye and the valve closed and disconnected from its actuating devices. By moving the plunger to the opposite en'd of its path rarefaction will be caused, and if the screw C5 be now turned so as to carry the plunger back until we have the degree of rarefaction desired as the maximum in the immediate further operation of the machine the stroke will he shortened at each end by an amount equal to the distance through which it has just been moved. Consequently the plunger in the further operation of the machine cannot return to the point at which raret'action began when it was drawn outward-that is, cannot go far enough to bring the pressure in the cylinder back to normal-but can only change the degreeofrarefaction between the maximum just established and a less degree or minimum. It

follows that if the power-shaft be now rapidly rotated the pressure will oscillate between two diierent degrees of rarefaction without any compression or even any return to normal atmospheric pressure. The eye Will thus be held in front of its normal position, with connected parts--like thevoptic-nerve, for example-under tension, and while so held it will be oscillated from front to rear. There is in the case just supposed no sudden release by the opening of a valve, but the eye at all times tends to follow the movements of the plunger. In an exactly analogous manner the machine may be adjusted to oscillate the eye While holding it constantly in the rear of its normal position by keeping the air in front of it compressed. It may also be adjusted to oscillate the eye between either maximum and the normal point or, if desired, between either maximum and a point at a selected distance upon the other side of the normal point. 'If the gears be in engagement and it the valve F be so set as to cut oi at the instant when the plunger begins its outward or exhausting movement, during the entire outward stroke the plunger acts to gradually exhaust the air from the cup. Then whether this stroke be long or short at the moment when the outward stroke is completed the valve-groove F3 comes into communication with the opening E in the cylinder and the vacuum is instantly destroyed by iniiux of air through a suitablylocated opening L, Fig. 1, in the valve-chamber if the valve be set so that its groove or recess registers for its full width with the opening E. If the valve be so set as to cut one. at the beginning of the opposite stroke, the air in the cup is progressively condensed until the stroke is completed, when the opening of the valve suddenly releases the compressed air if the valve registers fully with the opening E. Since the valve, as has been explained, is longitudinally adjustable upon its shaft, it may be moved along so that it constantly closes any desired fraction of the opening E, and thus the influx of air after rarefaction or efiiux at'ter compression may be made as gradual as is desired, or the treatment maybe more or less gentle so far as releasing the eye can modify it.

If it be desired to rarefy'the air on the outward stroke of the plunger, suddenly relieve the partial vacuum, and on the return stroke compress the air and in like manner suddenly release 'it at the completion of that stroke, the valve F may be moved to the right by turning its set-screw until two diametrically opposite short grooves O O' instead ofthe groove F3 come into the plane of the opening E in the cylinder, so that at the end of each half-revolution the opening E communicates for a short interval with the external air and is closed during the intermediate intervals. In this case also, if desired, the valve may be set so as to have the opening partially closed While air is adminted or released and with results similar to those obtained by a like arrangement when the opening registers with the single groove. It has .been explained that by rotating the valve on itsshaft and again xing it it may be made to leave the aperture E open during either the rarefying or the condensing stroke of the plunger. The saine result may be somewhat more conveniently attained by means of the screw C5 and without the use of any tool or preliminary removal of parts. If the machine be stopped when the plunger is at one end of its path and the valve is at Jthe pointA of opening or closing and if the IOO IIO

IIS

crank-pin be carried to the opposite side of the axis of the crank-plates center of rotation, the plunger will be carried to the'opposite end of its path and will make again the same kind of stroke which it had just completed, the particular action of the valve thus occurring at the beginning instead of at the end Of such stroke. We have thus a virtual reversal of the valve, and if the machine before compressed it will now rarefy, and vice versa. It is then quite possible to use the same machine for the various kinds of treatment that the different cases may require and, for example, to so set the crank-pin as to produce a hardly-appreciable vibration of the parts Within the cups rim or to produce any degree ot' vibration betweenV this and movement that approaches violence, and whatever variation in air-pressure may be chosen the alternations may be as slow or as rapid as the judgment of the physician may require, and the suddenness of the transition may be controlled at will, as may also the total amount of air allowed to enter or escape While the valve is open.

It is evident that the exact construction shown for illustration need not be followed, and I do not, therefore, wish to limit myself to these constructions.

l. The combination with a cup adapted lto tit upon parts surrounding the eye, of a cylinder communicating with the interior of said cup and provided with a passage leading to the air without the cylinder, a rotary valve controlling said passage, a crank-shaft, a

crank-pin adjustable from side to side of saidV crank-shaft, and means for locking the crankpin at any point in its path of adjustment.

2. The combination with a cup adapted to fit upon parts surrounding the eye, of a cylinder communicating with the interior of the cup and provided with a passage leading to the extern al air, a plunger Working in the cylinder in position to vary the tension of the air in that part from which said passage leads, an adjustable valve adapted to close said passage constantly when in one position and intermittently when iu a dierent position, means for at will securing the valve in either position, and devices adapted for constant movement and for Operating the valve in any of its positions.

3. The combination with a cup adapted to fit upon parts surrounding the eye, of a cylinder communicating with the interior of the cup and provided with a passage leading to the external air, a plunger reciprocating in the cylinder to vary the tension in that portion from which the passage leads, a valve controlling said passage and adapted for constant movement, means whereby the valve closes the passage Whenthe plunger reaches a predetermined point and opens it more or less completely When the plunger reaches another point, and means for at will xing the degree of such Opening.

4. The combination with a cup adapted to.

for rotating the valve.

5. The combination with a cup adapted to fit upon parts surrounding the eye, of a cylinder communicating with the interior of the cup and provided with a lateral opening leading to the external air, a plunger reciprocating in the cyinder to vary the tension in that part from which the opening leads, a cylindrical valve seated in position toV cover said opening, arranged to rotate upon its own axis, and having in certain planesY perpendicular to that axis peripheral recesses, and in other parallel'planes an unbroken peripheral surface, and means for adjusting the valve longitudinally with reference to its axis to bring either recessed or non-recessed parts into registry with said opening.

6. The combination with a cup adapted to I fit upon parts surrounding the eye, of a cylinder communicating with the interior of the cup and provided with a lateral opening leading to the external air, a plunger reciprocating in the cylinder, a rotary valve fitting against the cylinder in position to close said opening and having a circumferential recess extending partly around its periphery in the plane of the aperture, and means for rotating the valve in time with the reciprocating plunger to bring the recess in communication with said opening when the plunger reaches predetermined points.

7. The combination with the cylinderhavd ing a lateral aperture through its Wall, ofthe plunger reciprocating in the cylinder, a shaft mounted alongside the cylinder, a cylindrical valve ad justably xed upon,said shaft and provided with peripheral recesses in dierent IIO planes perpendicular tothe shaft and'in p'osition to'register Withvsaid aperture when the valve is properly adjusted, longitudinally, upon said shaft, and means for rotating the shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY FORCE GAREY. Witnesses:

THOs. KELL BRADFORD, HAROLD D. BISHOP. 

